IN BRIEF / PAKISTAN

Al Qaeda Hide-Out Destroyed, Officials Say

The military said it destroyed a major Al Qaeda hide-out and arrested 21 suspected militants in an operation involving helicopter gunships and thousands of troops in the North Waziristan region near Afghanistan.

Lt. Gen. Safdar Hussain, a top army commander, said foreigners were among the detainees. He refused to reveal their identities or nationalities.

He said the hide-out appeared to be fairly sophisticated, with communications equipment, a weapons cache and a tiny Chinese-made drone aircraft used for surveillance.